PARIS, France –There was no ‘Miracle on the Seine’ at the Olympics on Saturday, August 10, as the United States men’s basketball team did as expected by grinding out a 98-87 win over France to claim a fifth consecutive gold medal.
With the French sporting spotlight locked on the Bercy Arena, the American showmen crushed Gallic hearts led by a fired up LeBron James, the “King” wearing shiny golden sneakers to mark the occasion.
The result was the same as three years ago in the Tokyo Olympics gold-medal game, but for the French, this loss cut a little deeper coming on home hardwood in front of a captivated nation.
“It’s their incredible talent that ended up marking the difference,” said France coach Vincent Collet. “It’s a final against the Americans, in Paris, you can say it as much as you want, each player has his emotions, we tried to use them but it wasn’t possible here.”
Steph Curry would finish with 24 points, all coming from three-pointers on an 8-of-12 clip, while a defiant, scowling James had 14 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker also fired 15 points each for the superstar-studded American squad.
Just downstream from Notre Dame cathedral on the banks of the Seine, the French faithful, including President Emmanuel Macron, gathered at the Bercy like pilgrims to Lourdes believing anything is possible, and so it seemed, until the final moments of an enthralling final.
As you would expect from a gold-medal game, there was jaw-dropping skill, raw emotion, tension and a touch of nastiness to provide spice.
James got the show started with a thundering dunk to kick-start a fast-paced affair that the Americans controlled behind a workmanlike effort, building a 14-point third-quarter lead.
But the US would need nearly all of that advantage as Les Bleus, turbo-charged by a rafter-rattling home crowd, clawed their way back, chopping the deficit to 82-79 with three minutes to play.
Then with the crowd on their feet and France poised to do the unthinkable, Curry – as he did in a nail-biting semifinal win over Serbia – came to the rescue for the US.
With the Dream Team teetering, the US captain Curry drained three long-range three-pointers in the final two minutes to ease the pressure.
The French again settled for silver, this time with Victor Wembanyama, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, leading the way with 26 points.
France will get another shot at hoops glory on Sunday, August 11, but the women’s team will be even bigger underdogs against the mighty Americans who have not lost in the Olympics since 1992 and are chasing an eighth straight gold. – Rappler.com
